Chapter 105 Golden Breeze and Jade Dew His aura deepened, eroding his heart's longing...
*
"Smack!"
Overwhelmed with shock, Yu Liuzhu dropped the cup, which shattered into pieces.
Qin's mother lowered her head, not daring to look at her face.
Her hands were clenched into fists, her palms digging into them, and her expression grew increasingly distorted.
Yu Qingxue was also surprised, but she felt that given the previous incident involving Luanhe and the princess, it was understandable that the Marquis's mansion would produce another prince. She found it strange that the prince reacted so strongly.
"Tang'er, what's wrong with you?"
At this point, Yu Qingxue suddenly realized something and, putting herself in her shoes, thought that she was unwilling to accept it.
"If it weren't for that wretched child, you might already be happily married to that Prince Mu, and you would have a share of such a prestigious position. If that damned wretched child were to marry into the Marquis's mansion, she would be so smug. No, no! We can't let her succeed!"
She remained silent, her palms clenching even tighter until her knuckles turned white.
Yu Qingxue was thinking hard, pacing anxiously back and forth in the room. "The Mu family really knows how to keep things hidden. Not content with producing a princess, they've now produced a prince. How come they get all the good things in the world?"
"Madam..." Qin's mother whispered, signaling her mistress to stop talking.
Yu Qingxue was consumed by her jealousy and resentment, muttering bitterly, "That Jiang Yingshui, a mere merchant's daughter, married into a noble family and has such immense wealth. She must be laughing in the middle of the night..."
"Shut up!"
With Yu Liuzhu's roar, the teapot and cups on the table were all swept to the ground.
The teapot wasn't broken, but the tea and tea leaves were spilled all over the place.
Her face was so distorted that even the most exquisite makeup couldn't hide it; her haggardness and sickness were clearly visible in the distortion, ruining much of her originally beautiful appearance.
"It's all your fault, it's all your fault..."
Yu Qingxue was caught off guard and was grabbed by the neck by the woman who rushed over. "If you were any more capable, you would have dealt with her much sooner. This wouldn't have happened. You're more trouble than you're worth. You've dragged me down. If it weren't for you and her, none of this would have happened. I would still be the eldest daughter of the Yu family, and everything she owns would be mine..."
Qin's mother turned pale with fright, and after realizing what was happening, she hurriedly stepped forward to pull them away.
"Young lady, please release the madam..."
Yu Qingxue rolled her eyes, unable to utter a coherent sentence. Fortunately, Yu Liuzhu was physically weak, and even with her best efforts, she couldn't exert enough force, allowing her to catch her breath until Qin Mama separated them.
Qin's mother supported her and kept patting her back to help her catch her breath.
The fear of death made her back away repeatedly, and the words Shen Qinglu had said unexpectedly came to mind.
It turns out that his own biological daughter never cared about his life or death!
Yu Liuzhu not only didn't care, but also glared at her with intense resentment, "You're the one who ruined me! It's you! Do you know what I've been through? What Marquis's mansion? Bah! I don't care. If it weren't for you, that immense wealth would be mine!"
The grudges from the past life, and all that has happened in this life, have turned into hatred.
The memory of what she had seen last time—the couple having a secret rendezvous by the bamboo grove in the quiet of the night, and that merciless, utterly heartless "Get out!"—was like a series of sharp arrows, piercing Yu Liuzhu's heart one after another.
The jealousy in her eyes was overflowing, as if it would wash her eyeballs out.
I hate it!
"They're all mine, all mine... No one can take them from me..."
They are, after all, biological children. A daughter can be ruthless, but a mother still cherishes the bond.
Seeing her like this, Yu Qingxue thought of her own life's experiences, feeling both anger at the injustice of fate and pity for her. After she caught her breath, she quickly comforted her, "Tang'er, how can that wretched child compare to you? You were born a noble person, you are the cloud in the sky, she is the mud on the ground. What princess or prince, you are just like them..."
"Madam!" Qin Mama's face turned deathly pale. In her panic, she covered Yu Qingxue's mouth and whispered, "You can't say it! You can't say it! It could be fatal..."
Yu Qingxue snapped out of her daze, her face deathly pale. "My poor Tang'er, she shouldn't have ended up like this... If they hadn't ruined my plans and His Highness's plans back then, the outcome would have been completely different. You tell me, how can Prince Xin's side possibly work out now that Prince Chen has suddenly reappeared and is still alive and well?"
Qin's mother had no idea how to answer such a question.
She watched Yu Liuzhu's expression with trepidation, and seeing that he didn't seem to care about what they were saying, she breathed a long sigh of relief. "I think this matter is a clash between the two princes, and we'll see who wins and who loses."
Yu Qingxue nodded, "You're right, let's wait and see."
*
The joint investigation by the Tianwu Guard, Shenwu Guard, and the Ministry of Justice was progressing rapidly; the assassination attempt was solved in less than three days.
The so-called investigation was actually just someone finding a scapegoat: the remnants of the Demon King.
As for why the remnants were able to remain hidden in the court for so long, and how they were able to deceive the emperor and raise so many assassins, Prince Xin, who was in charge of handling all matters related to the Demon King, submitted a letter of apology to the emperor, saying that he had failed in his duty and that he had neglected his duties. He also offered to suspend court for three months to reflect on his mistakes.
Prince Xin's move was a strategic retreat, which allowed him to quell the matter on the surface.
With the matter settled, the officials from the three departments returned to their respective posts.
Yu Jingliang didn't return home until the third night. From afar, he saw Yu Jingxian and Shen Qinglu standing by the rockery, talking about something. One of them was emotional, while the other remained calm.
As they approached, Yu Jingxian's roar reached their ears. His face was red and his neck was thick, and he seemed to have lost control of his emotions. "Why should I listen to you? I am your elder brother. Why should you decide my monthly allowance? Let me tell you, forty taels is not enough. You give me back to the previous sixty taels... No, sixty taels is not enough either. I'll give you one hundred taels, one hundred taels, do you hear me!"
“Mother knows about this and she has agreed. You and your second brother will each receive forty taels. Forty taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family to live on for several years. Even if you use the best pen, ink and paper, it will be enough.”
Shen Qinglu's voice was also calm, even somewhat indifferent.
Those dark eyes were fixed on Yu Jingxian, not missing a single expression. The pupils seemed to be filled with thick ink, obscuring the light.
She suddenly took a step back, maintaining a safe distance, and asked coldly, "Brother, have you ever heard of something called 'pleasure cream'?"
Upon hearing the words "pleasure cream," Yu Jingxian's eyes lit up with an alarming gleam. "Do you have any? Give it to me, give it to me now..."
He rushed over, but before he could even touch Shen Qinglu, he was subdued by Yu Jingxian.
"Big brother, what are you trying to do?"
"Give it to me, give it to me now, Ali!" He struggled desperately, and his whole demeanor looked extremely abnormal.
Shen Qinglu said to Yu Jingliang, "Second brother, send him back and have people keep a close watch on him. Don't let him go out for the next few days!"
Yu Jingliang asked in surprise, "Ali, what's wrong with you...?"
"What right do you have to tell me what to do?" Yu Jingxian roared, his face contorted with rage. "Give me the thing right now..."
"Do you know what that 'pleasure ointment' is?" Shen Qinglu looked at him. "It's a harmful substance. A few days ago, Yutang tried to use it to control Mother and make her admit to colluding with the Demon King in her early years."
Yu Jingliang sensed something was amiss and asked him incredulously, "Brother, you actually took that kind of thing that can make people lose their minds?"
“What harmful stuff? What mind-altering stuff? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He was panting, veins bulging on his forehead and neck. “It’s a good thing that can refresh you and make you forget all your troubles. What do we know about it…”
"Second brother, stop wasting your breath on him, just knock him out."
"Ah Li, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Jingliang had already knocked him unconscious with a palm strike.
Yu Jingliang, with a stern face, dragged the person back to his residence.
After all that commotion, it was completely dark by then.
Shen Linlang rushed over and, upon learning of the situation, her expression became extremely solemn. Looking at the unconscious Yu Jingxian, her eyes were filled with self-blame and heartache.
After a long silence, she sighed softly and then said that she would handle the matter and that the brother and sister did not need to worry about it anymore.
Everything under the cover of night is completely different from what is seen during the day. Even the most elegant garden scenery loses its original appearance in the darkness and becomes strange and grotesque.
Yu Jingliang suddenly felt that even under these circumstances, his younger sister looked even more stunning.
"Ali, what exactly is going on between you and Uncle Mu... Prince Chen?"
He saw clearly that day when Mu Hanshi held Shen Qinglu's hand.
Shen Qinglu didn't hide it from him and said tactfully, "I have some private dealings with him."
"How could you have any dealings with him?" he asked in shock. "Ah Li, you... what about him..."
"Second Brother." Shen Qinglu stopped in her tracks, her eyes incredibly serious, though still dark, they seemed to hold the stars within them. "Our relationship is indeed extraordinary. A few days ago, he asked me if I would be willing to marry him?"
"He...he wants to marry you?!"
Shen Qinglu hummed in agreement. "I agreed to his request."
He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "You two... wouldn't you consider this a secret engagement?"
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and grinned and chuckled.
"Is it funny?" Shen Qinglu asked him.
He was still laughing, overjoyed. "If you really marry Prince Chen, then will Aying have to call you Imperial Aunt and me Uncle?"
So that's why.
Shen Qinglu was somewhat amused and exasperated. "There is a distinction between ruler and subject. The imperial family never discusses seniority with its subjects. I am me, and you are you. They will not be confused."
His smile vanished, and he said with considerable regret, "If Prince Chen were not Prince Chen, but the Ninth Master of the Mu family, that would be wonderful. Not only Ah Ying, but Ah Lin would also have to call me Uncle."
If Mu Hanshi weren't Prince Chen, this marriage probably wouldn't have happened.
The reason they were brought together was entirely because that person had power.
As Shen Qinglu thought this, her heart, which had been as calm as still water, suddenly surged with inexplicable waves.
Then, for no apparent reason, a voice deep inside me asked myself, is this really the only reason?
That night.
Even in the dead of night, she was still wide awake.
My mind feels chaotic, yet also very clear.
She heard a sound like pine needles falling from branches outside, and she sensed something. When a breeze came in, carrying a very faint scent of bamboo leaves, she immediately closed her eyes.
As the person approached, the fragrance of bamboo leaves became increasingly clear.
She is unable to see people, yet her senses are exceptionally sharp.
When the man's cool breath mixed with the warm scent of bamboo leaves wafted in, her heart clenched, as if it were being firmly grasped and played with at will.
That feeling, neither quite itchy nor quite painful, left her momentarily unsure whether she was anticipating or resisting it.
She wasn't one to be sentimental. Thinking that the two of them would eventually be together, and that some things were just a matter of time, her body gradually relaxed, allowing her heart to lie still under someone else's control.
Mu Hanshi could easily tell that she was pretending to be asleep, his deep gaze completely encompassing her.
The past and present lives are like dappled light and shadow, transforming into a series of captivating paintings. In the end, two different faces overlap, one like a mask falling off, and the other forcefully replacing it.
In the chaotic space-time, it seemed as if only they remained.
Her trembling eyelashes gradually calmed like feather fans, her breathing slowed and softened, and her beautiful face resembled a solitary blooming rose in the night, waiting for an uninvited guest to pluck it.
Mu Hanshi's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes now like an endless dark night, half mysterious and half dangerous.
After an unknown amount of time, the inner demons finally triumphed over reason.
His breath deepened, eroding the warmth and softness of the woman he longed for.
Like the golden breeze and jade dew, no longer disturbed by worldly troubles.
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